For the longest time, I have had the mentality that says: "God knows I can't afford healthy food. I'll just pray that he protects me from the horrible stuff that's in it." To an extent, that's how I remain. We are very limited as a family when it comes to our grocery budget. We have seven mouths to feed and we feel the pressure of that every single week. A typical week goes like this: "I must stick to the budget. I must stick to the budget. I must stick to the budget." So I do and what happens? We are out of food by Monday (I grocery shop on Thursday). Something had to give. Our grocery budget had to increase. But how? In four words: Bye bye, DISH Network. Sad, but true.
So now that I have a slightly larger grocery budget, I am attempting the slightly impossible: feed our family of seven on food that is minimally processed, chock full of whole grains, free of trans fats, hydrogenated (partially AND fully) oils, and high fructose corn syrup. I want to buy as organic as possible (but let's just be honest- that's hardly going to happen) and I want to avoid soy.
Soy? Yeah- I'm not really sure why. I just have a bad feeling about soy. I have read up on it a bit and I worry for the females in my family mostly. I do NOT want Clara to have the same hormonal issues that I do and I believe soy has been linked to all sorts of junk like that.
First stop? Whole Foods. I hear they have a brand called 365 that is reasonably priced and I want to investigate. I want to start by saying that I remember why I don't shop at Whole Foods: it's depressing. Of course I want to buy everything in the store, but I can't. It's extremely expensive and we'd have to have a few of our utilities disconnected for me to spend as much as I desired.
So I picked up a few things. And I feel good about it.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Creamy and chunky peanut butter
- Cereal
- Fruit bars
- Baby banana puffs (soy free!)
- Sweet potato chips
The total was almost $17. I am okay with that. I wish I could have bought more (especially the Dogfish Head 90 minute- but I abstained). The only purchase that pained me a bit were the puffs- at $3.00! They are better than what I was feeding her at $1.59 a piece, however, and nearly twice the size. My heart rate has returned to normal and I am doing well.
A thought that came to mind: I am planning on emailing some of the popular brands at Whole Foods (Earthbound, Happy Baby, Annie's, etc.) and tell them that I love their products and would appreciate coupons. I have heard this works almost 100% of the time!
And I have one happy baby enjoying her puffs:
I also hit Meijer this morning. I am finding the Meijer Naturals brand to be somewhat satisfying. They are GMO-free (is that right?) and contain no artificial dyes, flavors, or preservatives. I found some cookies and pita chips that I like.
It was a bit more of a realistic shopping trip and not as coupon-crazy. My average Meijer trip would be in the ballpark of spend $50, save $40. Trying to make better choices, I spent $85 and saved $40.
I also had a great trip at Target this week.
The floss and the Maalox were free. The cereals were .83 each. Not too bad! All-in-all, I spent $11 and saved $31!
Some last thoughts:
- I wonder: if you could recommend 5 of the most important changes that a person could make to become healthier (in regard to foods, drink, vitamins, supplements, etc.), what would they be? For example, I keep hearing about Agave nectar. What's with all the hype? Another example? I keep hearing we should make the switch to coconut oil. I would love to hear thoughts on this.
- Does it concern anyone else that this is shelf-stable and, yet, called yogurt? Should that be a sign that I shouldn't feed it to my daughter?
Mandy, I want to comment to this but my alarm to bring Maddox to the bus stop is going to go off in 2 minutes. I hope this comment will remind me to come back and comment when I get back in the house!
ReplyDeleteok, I didn't even get all the way through your post and picturs- but you asked what the 5 things were that a person should do to become healther?
ReplyDelete1. Vitamins and supplements wise (this is JMO- someone may disagree that is OK) Get your Vitamin D3 to an Optimum level and the kids also. Use Probiotics- if not for yourself, your children. Email Culturelle, they will send GREAT coupons. Use ECB's and stock up when on sale at CVS. Omega 3's- either in whole raw chia seeds or PURE fish oil. A trusted brand that guarantees no mercury. And of course a nice Multivatamin for all.
Agave Nectar is great. When we had to sweeten Landen's Potato milk with something we chose that b/c it doesn't digest as a sugar like honey does (diabetes much?) and I am leary of all of the artificial sweeteners out there. For me, it's either real sugar *in moderation of course* or agave nectar. Trader Joes is sooo reasonable for things like this. Do you have one in KY?
In the Spring/Summer/Fall months I like to shop for produce at either a local farmers market or a Farm we have nearby. It saves lots of $$ and is either locally grown or organic. I seperate that b/c I know they are not 1 in the same. Either way, it's better than the pesticide laden produce that is overpriced in our supermarket.
Jill
Please let me add something else. Please do be careful when buying juice. Spend more if you have to. Check the side of the container to see if it has concentrate. If it does, see where it comes from. If it says China/Argentina it is GARBAGE. Don't give it to your kids. It does not matter if it's free. I am getting upset at all of the juice companies (even Motts for crying out loud) that are getting concentrate from China. :(
ReplyDeleteDo I even need to sign off who this is? LOL
LOL Jill! No- you absolutely did NOT have to sign your name. I might have thought it was Darryl, however.
ReplyDeleteGeez, I'm really ticked! I just wrote a five page response (no, not really that long, but close) and it all just got lost! I guess I'll try to scrunch it up.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, the most important thins are:
Whole & Natural Foods (not necessarily organic). I mean, foods that are in their natural state. Foods that have not been broken, separated, removed, replaced, or modified. Foods that are not Light, Fat Free, Reduced Fat, Sugar Free, etc.
Local & Seasonal foods. They're going to be cheaper, first off... They're sustainable, they're most likely organic. Live off your land! Well, or someone elses! Go to local farmers markets and near buy farms that grown fruits, veggies, greens and have farm fresh eggs. I hear raw milk (done safely) is an amazing thing.
Your diet should be 50% or more Fruits, Veggies, and Greens. Then whole grains, then meats, and very lastly any junk you cannot survive without, in great moderation (like coke, for me... lol I wish I could say I follow the moderation rule...)
I agree completely about shelf stable items. YUCK! I just don't trust them!
In our house we DO NOT DO:
* High Fructose Corn Syrup. I cannot find hot dog and hamburger buns that are HFCS free, but we rarely buy those. Our bread is ALWAYS HFCS free.
* Nitrites in meats. Faye eats loads of deli meat, so we only buy Hormel Natural Choice deli meat that is free of nitrites.
* Organic milk for the kids (because we cannot afford it for ourselves).
* Artificial Sweeteners
* We try to stay away from food coloring. I do drink Gatorade after I run in the summer, though...
We DO use Agave Nectar, but if these kinds of things (non local, non regional things) are not in your budget, don't worry about it. Natural sugar is fine if you're not gobbing loads of it in your tea (ahem). Things that are supposed to enhance your health that you would not be able to obtain if it weren't for nationwide and world wide shipping are perfectly fine to choose not to buy.
My feelings on Vitamins are that I am not sure that they help, I'm not sure that they do not help. I am POSITIVE that whole foods WITH the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients found in vitamins are very healthy.
I rarely buy organic. I try to buy the "dirty dozen" organic, during the winter, but mostly I just stick to local farmer grown foods. Ask if they use anything and ask what it is they use.
I forgot if that was all or not.
Get In Defense of Food. It's extremely helpful.
Hey there :-) Good for you, trying it out. It is a bit more work, but I really think you'll be able to pull this off! However, remember that while we are to be good stewards of the bodies we've been given, cutting out every single thing does not equate a further path toward sanctification. That one is had for me to remember when I want to be very picky. So, top 5 things I want to share...no particular order.
ReplyDelete* Whole Foods has printable coupons on their website: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/coupons/ Lots of times, these coupons are even for their 365 brand.
* Kick the unfermented soy to the curb as much as you can. It's so so so hard. So difficult b/c it's in so much. Our government simply grows it and grows it so companies have to figure out what to do with all of it. Check your labels, it's in almost everything these days. I haven't done it completely yet, but I still try my hardest. Info on why: http://simpleorganic.net/the-risks-of-eating-soy-foods-3-reasons-to-say-no/ The blog of a woman who is allergic to soy so she absolutely has to cut it out. She has some great posts as to what she keeps in her pantry and refrigerator. I'm not as up as her yet, but little by little, I'm making ground: http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/
* Grow your own in the summer so you don't have to depend on the store...freeing up more money. A friend of mine does a square foot garden which seems much easier than the traditional: http://abirdandabean.blogspot.com/2010/07/garden-update.html Also, you can grow sprouts in the winter :-) http://simpleorganic.net/where-can-you-find-in-season-real-food-in-the-winter/ Once you grow your own, you can also freeze your own to have in the winter.
* Processed foods are convenient but they are not always our friends. One of the most important things I've learning to do it little by little move away from premade things. Don't get me wrong, you'll still find several boxed things in my home, but you have to remember that it's a work in progress. If you try to do everything all at once, you really will cause yourself more frustration than it's worth. Make decisions about what you're going to cut out for now and do it. Don't worry about everything that needs to go. Little by little it will be gone.
* Agave: This post talks a lot about sweeteners and gives some detailed responses to many that are out there http://simpleorganic.net/whole-cane-sugar-a-better-way-to-sweeten/ While they say to just use sucanat, I've found that it's not very practical for everyday. To me, it doesn't taste good in tea or coffee and you can't use it on cereal like you can other natural sugars. I really like the organic "Florida Crystals" b/c they have a consistency close to regular sugar so you can use them in the same way you would refined sugar. Sugar in the Raw can cause some recipes to turn out mealy.
So, that's my 5. I don't do supplements except for a daily multivitamin. I might do more in the future but my task of being a grad-school student, working full-time, and being a wife take precedence over that happening right now.
Regarding coconut oil: I mostly just use real, unsalted, organic butter. Most margarines are a hydrogenated oil. I have some coconut oil that I use when I cook sweets and love it. I also use it on my hair to smooth it down. Keep a watch on Saving Naturally and she'll let you know when the best deals are available. All that being said, it's still a fat and should be used sparingly.
Documentaries I can recommend: 1. Food Inc. 2. King Corn 3. Tapped
Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything I can help you find. I've been reading a lot but I know I still have a lot to learn.
Steph P.
Love this post... I feel like I have to choose between health and thriftiness, too. It sucks. Sorry I said sucks on your blog. Back in our swingin' child-free days I used to shop at this fabulous wonderland of gormet and whole food deliciousness called Central Market in Texas. It was so fab, and they had coupons, too, so it was okay... but it always made me WANT. Walmart rarely made me want what I wasn't already planning to buy, so I usually just went there.
ReplyDeleteIts hard here, too. Sharing our kitchen (and our grocery bill) with other people doesn't work out the way I want...